Cubs Seek to Re-Sign Pierre

August 6, 2006 by cubsnet

The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan reports that the "Cubs are desperately hoping to re-sign center fielder Juan Pierre." Desperately? No doubt that the desire to resign Pierre stems from his recent good play and Felix Pie's mildly disappointing year (.274/.333/.417) at triple-A Iowa. But desperately?

Sullivan suggests that Pierre will be able to get a multi-year contract on the open market worth more than $10.5M per year (more than double what Pierre is making this season). I like Pierre. I like his attitude, the way he plays the game, and his disposition. Mostly, I like cheering for him. But it would be insane to offer Pierre a multi-year deal worth $10M annually.

Pierre hit very well in July, posting .345/.380/.496 numbers, with 13 stolen bases. But that is not Pierre over the course of a season. Pierre's 876 July OPS merely helped him to get up to his season long line of .279/.326/.376, which is just about identical to where he finished last season. That is indicative of Pierre's value much more than one month of very good play.

Out of 30 centerfielders in the major leagues who have at least 250 plate appearances, Pierre is 21st in the major leagues in MLVr--which measures overall offensive production--at -.082, which means he produces .08 runs per game fewer than an average player. (Corey Patterson is at -.041 this season.) On defense, Pierre has certainly appeared to play well, tracking down a number of fly balls in the gaps. Baseball Prospectus gives him a 99 Rate2, just about right at his career mark, making him an average defensive centerfielder.

Pierre simply is not worth the money Sullivan thinks someone will pay for him.

I am by no means suggesting that the Cubs hand centerfield over to Pie and not consider resigning Pierre at all. But centerfield is a position the Cubs can look to improve in the offseason. They need to explore every available option.

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